


i've got your letter (you've got my song)

by quidditches



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cedric Diggory Has Daddy Issues, Established Relationship, Letters, M/M, Teen Angst, harry snoops and cedric flips his lid a little about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:53:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23866312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quidditches/pseuds/quidditches
Summary: The thing that perplexed Harry the most was how incredibly unaware he was of the entire situation.Or, Harry finds a letter he was never meant to find.
Relationships: Cedric Diggory/Harry Potter
Comments: 4
Kudos: 72





	i've got your letter (you've got my song)

**Author's Note:**

> don't call it a comeback, i've been here for years !!
> 
> i found this and another unpublished fic on my old laptop, and figured i would revive this account to share. enjoy! 
> 
> title from across the sea by weezer

When the rain pounds relentlessly on the window panes and the sky is painted a weary shade of gray, the castle is swept by a lulled silence. Someone had said once that a rainy day at Hogwarts was the world's greatest sleep aid and sitting here, Harry couldn't entirely disagree. There was something about the muted pattering of rain drops on the building and the way the world seemed to still in the middle of the storm that felt like a blanket draped over your shoulders, warm and heavy, dragging your mind toward an easy rest.

Cedric had invited him over before the storm had started. He'd cited Potions homework as the reason, but they had spent most of the time together in a comfortable silence -- Harry laying on his bed, leafing through a textbook, while Cedric sat at his desk, composing an essay about the properties of Everlasting Elixirs. Most of their study dates ended up like this, but it didn't bother them much. There was comfort to be found in the silence between them; the soft and gentle coexistence of lovers.

At one point or another, all the words upon the page had begun to melt together and Harry took it as a sign that a break was in order. Sitting up from the languid position he had adopted over the course of his reading, he sighed. Not a particularly discontented sigh, but a sigh nonetheless. His stare fell upon Cedric's back -- still hard at work, oblivious to Harry's own lack of productivity. He decided not to bother him, opting to stand up instead.

For the amount of time Harry had spent in Cedric's room, he didn't think he'd ever really looked around. The space was warm and every last inch of it positively screamed Ced. From the plant in the window sill, to the well-read copy of Quidditch Through The Ages on the dresser, to the knit sweater draped over the back of the desk chair, the room felt as bright and warm as its occupant. Somehow, it always managed to feel the same upon entering, even in the middle of the night when the visit is prompted by a desperate plea for company to soothe and sedate.

His fingers trailed absently across the trinkets sitting upon Cedric's dresser. Despite seeming meaningless, they seemed to tell a story. Perhaps it was a story Harry didn't know the words to but it was there, unfolding right on top of the smooth wood. As his fingers grazed over the stopper of a small bottle of Sleeping Draught, something caught his eye. Wedged between two books stacked on top of each other, the edge of what appeared to be loose papers stuck out. While he knew it probably wasn't anything he should be bothered with, curiosity got the best of him and he tugged the papers free.

The papers slipped out and Harry very quickly realized that it wasn't simply one sheet of paper, but rather several sheets folded in half. Before he even considered what might reside inside the fold of the stack, he unfolded it and began to skim.

> _Cedric,_
> 
> _You didn't respond to my last letter like I asked you to. Your behavior toward me in recent months has been worrying and frankly, rather disrespectful. I'm aware of the fact you have been purposefully ignoring my attempts to contact you, while responding to your mother's. I am your father and for as long as you are still under my care, you will answer to me. It's not negotiable, Cedric._
> 
> _This aside, I was glad to hear you did heed my warning leading up to the last scrimmage. Madam Hooch had nothing but praise for your performance, but don't take this small victory as an invitation to start relaxing and neglecting your responsibilities with the team. The last thing you need to be doing right now is ruining the opportunity you've been presented with poor behavior._
> 
> _Lastly, I'd like to remind you that the scout from Puddlemere United will be in attendance at the upcoming Slytherin-Hufflepuff match. I expect you're working hard, but do not let the gravity of the situation get lost on you. Do write back soon._
> 
> _Yours,_   
>  _Dad_

Almost as soon as he had managed to comprehend exactly what it was he was reading, a heavy feeling settled in his stomach. What began as an innocent, curious action now felt like a complete invasion; like he'd seen something so intensely private that was meant to be kept under lock and key. When he had started to poke around, he had never expected to find something that posed so many impossible questions. Especially not in Cedric's bedroom. The boy was practically incapable of keeping secrets, yet here this was.

The thing that perplexed Harry the most was how incredibly unaware he was of the entire situation. Word had gotten around school, the way it usually does, about Cedric being scouted. Cedric had never mentioned it to Harry directly, but it wasn't a secret. The surprise came more so from the fact the family dynamic Harry thought he had gotten an understanding of over winter break was entirely wrong. The letter was harsh and judging by the weight of the pile in his hands, there were many others just as bad or worse accompanying it.

The thought that things were so bad and he didn't know about it was enough to send an urge to kick something through his body.

"Hey, Ced?" he asked, voice disrupting the comfortable silence they had created in the room, "Are you doing alright?"

Cedric seemed to have noticed something was going on by now, judging by the fact the scratching of his quill upon parchment had stopped. If Harry would have been able to tear his eyes from the paper, he would have seen the look of panic on Cedric's face when he noticed what he was holding.

"I'm fine," he said, voice uncharacteristically sharp, "Give those back."

Harry hesitated before he set the papers down on the dresser. Cedric's response alone was enough to tell him he'd entered a sensitive territory but at the same time, it wasn't something he was prepared to simply let die. The letter, from what he had read, offered an unexpected insight. It was unnerving, really, knowing that despite spending the better part of the school year attached to Cedric's hip, he had no idea anything was even going on. He could've kicked himself for being so dense.

"I wasn't prying," Harry stated simply, hands falling awkwardly at his sides.

"What _were_ you doing, then?"

Harry didn't have an answer. He wasn't prying. That much he knew. He was just curious. "Just looking."

Cedric didn't seem convinced, judging by the way his eyes merely narrowed at the explanation. It made Harry squirm, just a bit.

"So, stop looking," he said, eyes yet to leave Harry's face, "It's not yours to look at."

One of Harry's biggest shortfalls since the dawn of time had been his ability to keep his mouth shut when he needed to most. He knew Cedric didn't want a fight, that he was only being defensive to get Harry to drop the subject, but his chronic case of Needing To Get The Last Word complicated things.

"You're obviously not looking at them," he said, flippantly. He shook his head, turning back to face Cedric's dresser. "This is a lot of letters, Cedric. Have you ignored all of these?"

The silence from the other was unnerving. It seemed to be a completely different breed from the comfortable silence that often fell between them. This, instead, was a dense and suffocating silence, making the room feel just a bit too small for the both of them. He couldn't even force himself to turn around to look.

It was probably merely seconds before Cedric spoke again, but it might as well have been years. "It doesn't matter," he said, sharply, "Maybe you ought to start heading back to Gryffindor soon."

It was Harry's turn to be quiet. His fingers traced over the edge of the dresser in an attempt to get his brain to focus on something else, to ground him just a little bit so the argument didn't escalate past the point it needed to.

"Cedric, I want to talk about this. If there's something going on, I want to help."

"I don't need any help. From you or from anyone else," he huffed, turning back to his desk. "You're reading too far into something you shouldn't have read to begin with."

"I was just--"

"It doesn't matter what you thought you were doing," he sighed, "Go. Please. Go home."

"Ced--"

"Harry, I said go."

It was one of those situations where Harry knew not to push it. Cedric had made up his mind and as much as it absolutely pained Harry to just leave, staying would only make the situation tenfold worse. The fact a fight with Cedric was so rare only made the decision clearer. It was unknown territory, and that fact was scary.

He had no gauge for how far he could actually press with Cedric until too far became too far, so just leaving seemed to be the only option.

"Goodnight, then," he said, finally turning around to meet Cedric's back, which had been turned toward him.

He waited only a few seconds before the lack of a response told him everything he needed to hear. Unwilling to fight him for a goodnight, he left the room.


End file.
